Archive of posts from July 2021

Dreaming gets a bad rap.

Dreamers are associated with wantrepreneurship. Idleness. Could-be-but-wont-bes.

This just isn’t correct.

Creating something that doesn’t yet exist requires the ability to see what isn’t there, in detail. That’s dreaming.

While creating for others, actively listening to others informs product development, but only if you’re able to imagine what the changes mean to the bigger picture. The picture that doesn’t yet exist, but you see. That’s dreaming.

While creating something different, something big, you’ll go for...

I’ve worked from the beach doing the “laptop lifestyle” thing…

Hot Florida beaches, white sands, MacBook Pro et al.

It stinks.

Everyone else is enjoying themselves. But you? You have an aluminium heat-machine literally burning your legs.

They’re spending time with their families. You’re getting a headache trying to read emails on a glossy screen in direct sunlight.

They’re taking a break because they’re on the beach. You’re going to take a break when you get home, after having been...

What conversion rate should we aim to have our marketing assets achieve?

What close rates should our sales teams hit?

How much revenue should your business be producing to be considered successful?

Answer: the only ‘high score’ to beat is your own, if you choose to play.

It feels like a pat answer. A non-answer. An answer someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about would say.

But that’s because we’re easily tricked into believing there’s a universal set of...

There are fields next to our house, one full of wheat, the other full of sheep.

We always find them really relaxing to look at: quiet, simple, slow-paced.

Of course, arable/pastoral farming are far more involved for the farmer than for those walking by!

We can be this way in our own businesses sometimes.

B2B directors can makes quips about how B2C is so much easier, while admiring the achievements of B2C companies and the B2C-focused strategies they deployed.

B2C...

You’re not one dimensional, right?

Our social footprints tell a different story:

Publishing only-professional content is one dimensional: we only get to see your keynote, but don’t get to hang out after the talk. We want to see the behind-the-scenes you, too!

Publishing only-expert content is one dimensional: we know you’re not wearing that business suit in the supermarket or at your kid’s game. Friends get to see that version of you. You want to be friends, right?

It’s hard,...

95% of startups fail.

That’s a lot. We often wish the number would be smaller.

But should we?

Failing isn’t a bad thing. It’s a stepping stone toward what comes next.

A 95% failure rate means lots of stepping stones, and lots of things that come next.

Lots of things coming next means lots of opportunities to improve our understanding of the needs of those we wish to serve.

That understanding creates better work, helping more people with more problems,...

It feels great to make something great.

But don’t forget about having pride in the progress:

A great interview is worth sharing… but so is the story of how it came to be. And so is the happy faces that went into producing it, bloopers and all. And so is a teaser for us all to get excited about, joining you on the journey. Invite us along.

A great new product is worth sharing… but so is the journey of discovery while...

Question: should you say what gets the most likes, or what is right?

Discussing social strategies today reminded me of reading about the Sophists and the Philosophers back in the days of Socrates and Epictetus.

See, ‘Sophists’ were basically ‘public speakers’ of the day. They’d go from town to town speaking to crowds of wealthy men, saying basically whatever would create the most applause. If quoting Socrates got applause (and money), they’d keep doing it. Then they’d switch gears as...

That marketing opportunity you’re looking for? It might be on the other side of a friendship. If you don’t build rapport with others, you won’t build much else with them, either.

That strategic partnership you’re hoping to find? It might be on the other side of a friendship. People who like you share you with people they like.

That product, service, connection, intro or resource, access you’re looking for? It might be on the other side of a friendship. We...

I had a very confident email arrive today.

Without naming names, it said, “Why choose us? Let us count the ways.”

None of the ways they counted had anything to do with me. They featured reports they outranked competitors on and research firms that named them an industry ‘leader’…

…But we don’t choose products because we believe they were good for others. We choose products because we believe they’ll be good for us.

Industry awards feel like lovely validations of...

Go on social media and you’ll find vocal proponents and opponents of almost any industry, industry practice or market trend.

We think that’s the opinion of the market. But the market isn’t as it sounds:

Those who speak, can’t not. They self-select from passion. They represent the meta and amplify what they believe matters.

Then there’s the rest. They chose not to engage vocally. Some may listen to what is being said, others pay no attention whatsoever. This is most...

Hustle is fast. Fast is cool.

Slowing down is cooler:

When we slow down, we empathise better. Fast means we don’t have the headspace to get into their headspace, resulting in relational breakdowns that need intentional repair. That’s not really fast though, is it?

When we slow down, we understand, and are understood. Fast leads to rushing our writing, creating confusion, and waiting to fix the mess on a call at a time that suits everyone. That’s not really fast...

I first started publishing online around 2000.

We would bookmark our favourite sites to go back to. We controlled our connection with each other.

By 2005, RSS feeds and newsletter subscriptions became widely adopted, so we could connect more deeply with our audiences. We still controlled our connection.

By 2010, social media started to rise. We could chat on social media (rented land we had no control over) as well as our email relationships. We (mostly) controlled our connection.

Fast-forward...

A new customer paid! Woohoo!

But where they glad to pay?

We often treat all payments as equal. They’re not:

Some payments we make because we have to. Bank fees. The piece of software that overcharged you last week and tried to explain it away. No good feelings there.

Some payments were glad to make. I’m glad to pay our email provider because of the relationship we have with them. I’m glad to pay our team because of how much...

Got a coach?

42% of businesses don’t, y’know.

Those 42% don’t think it’s worth the time, energy or money.

But they do think it’s worth regularly stating:

“If only I’d spotted and done something about that six months ago.”

“I dunno how to get past this hurdle, I guess we just try harder?”

“Man I’ve been meaning to get around to this, but ugh, I’ll put it in for next Monday and see how we...

I’m not into football and I’m not an astronaut. And yet:

Bullying 19 year old Bukayo Saka who performed at the top of his class in a zero-sum game is juvenile. We can be a better example to young people. We can do better.

Quibbling over whether Branson went to ‘actual space’ or based on varying interpretations of “where space starts” mottles the intended message of adventure and potential with mere ego. We can do better.

A predictable, expected 38%...